BIHAR DIVAS

Bihar Day is much more than celebration. It is more than another public holiday. Celebrated on 22 March to commemorate the state’s separation from Bengal in 1912, Bihar Day is the one day of the year when over 103 million individual Biharis, regardless of their religious beliefs, can come together in shared experience; an experience that may not be easy or necessary to articulate, but that - often unconsciously - binds them to this remarkable land and its people.

Bihar Day celebrations around the globe

The Government of Bihar decided to celebrate the foundation day of the state from the year 2010. The objective was to restore the pride of the state and to enthuse the feeling of Being Bihari in the citizens of the state. Bihar had a glorious past and recent reforms have filled every heart with gusto and every soul with pride. A committee headed by Principal Secretary, HRD organised the function in Bihar, the main function at the historical Gandhi Maidan and Bihar Foundation was given an opportunity to organise the event outside the state. Bihar Foundation which has been working to connect Non Resident Biharis (NRB) around the globe found this as an opportunity to unite NRBs. The Foundation organized ‘Bihar Divas’ not as an event but as an occasion for bonding, an occasion to come together for the oneness. The celebrations of the Bihar Divas crossed the boundaries of the state and the country through the chapters of the foundation. Bihar Foundation sent brochures and DVDs of films related to history, art and culture and on recent developments in Bihar. NRBs celebrated the day with gaiety and fervor in the different corners of the world. The celebrations witnessed a vibrant mixture of folk songs and dances of Bihar, sharing of Bihari delicacies, film show on Bihar, competitive programmes and other festivities. California and New Jersey in the US, Sydney in Australia, Dubai, Qatar and Bahrain in the Gulf, besides Canada and England are the countries which observed Bihar Divas. At all these places, the celebrations were held on the call of the Bihar Foundation. In India, the Foundation’s chapters in Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Kolkata organized the festivities with pomp and grandeur.